


Hooligans and Home

by scorbusfics



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 11:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14308122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorbusfics/pseuds/scorbusfics
Summary: James has wanted to be a part of Teddy’s steadily growing family for a while now.It’s only just occurring to him that he might already be a pretty integral part.





	Hooligans and Home

**Author's Note:**

> There’s definitely not enough Jeddy kid fic around, and this is just a small thing that I threw together after some lovely, inspiring discussion in the discord. Thank you to DinoRoar for beta-ing so quickly! I really hope you all enjoy it! And thank you to the mod for hosting! <3

A blue-haired hooligan sprints past James, and James grabs the back of his jacket without blinking. He’s trying to prune the Beezelbub bush, but it keeps wriggling, and the scissors he’s using are a little blunt. Plus, there’s the fact that Nev keeps running in and out of the greenhouse, not even trying to be subtle as he makes off with James’s supplies. James is kind of proud of the boy’s shamelessness, but his stealth needs work. 

Teddy skids through the doorway a moment later, looking rather harassed. James grins at him, slowly dragging a scowling Nev back by the collar. 

“Lose something?” James asks, and Teddy groans, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he stalks forward and lifts Nev over his shoulder. Nev doesn’t go quietly, shrieking as his treasures – a pair of earmuffs, a length of wire, and something sticky and red that James doesn’t want to examine – spill out of his arms onto the floor. James has no idea what he was planning to do with it all, and while he’s mostly intrigued, part of him really doesn’t want to find out. 

“I’m sorry, Jamie,” Teddy says, groaning again.

“It’s all good,” James says, grinning. He abandons the plant for now, following Teddy out of the greenhouse, hands in his pockets. Nev grins cheekily at him from over Teddy’s shoulder, tantrum forgotten, and James reaches forward and pokes him in the nose. He scrunches it up and sticks a forked tongue out at James, his hair flickering.

The metamorphmagus abilities are still coming in, but Nev is learning, slowly. James feels a rush of pride every time Nev makes his nose turn into a beak, or changes the colour of his eyelashes. 

“Ruby’s busy with the Fire Crabs,” Teddy says. “He wants to know if you’ll let him feed the Snidget, before it gets sent up to MRSR. I told him I’d come and ask, and this little bugger—”

He jostles Nev pointedly, earning a squeal.

“—decided to make a run for it.”

James thinks of the little yellow ball of fuzz currently healing in the barn, and then he thinks of Ruby’s sweet, unassuming face. He crumbles quickly; both of Teddy’s kids have him wrapped around their little fingers. “I mean, technically we’re not supposed to let anyone else get near it, just in case it gets hurt, but I guess I can make an exception for my most dedicated employee.”

James locks up the greenhouse and follows Teddy out to the Fire Crab enclosure. He spots Hagrid first, sitting in a massive rocking chair with a newspaper in his lap. Fang slumbers at his feet, grey and drooling all over Hagrid’s boots. Ruby is a little way away, holding a truly enormous basket in his tiny arms and whistling at the Fire Crabs from behind the safety of a low wall.

They’re baby Fire Crabs, so they’re not particularly dangerous, but Teddy still looks understandably wary as Ruby creeps closer. James suspects he’s having flashbacks to the Blast-Ended Skrewts, Hagrid’s finest and most terrifying creation to date.

“I have no idea why you do this, Jamie,” Teddy says, plopping Nev down on the floor. Nev scrambles up and launches himself at Hagrid, who picks him up easily with one hand and settles him down on his lap, smiling widely from behind his bushy beard. “I didn’t even think you liked magical creatures.”

“Yeah, I really kind of don't,” James says, thinking of the numerous burns littering his arms and the stalls that still need mucking out with distaste. “I told you, though, I need something for in between Quidditch seasons, to keep busy. It’s not too bad. Hagrid and Luna handle most of the creature side of it, but I’m getting better at it. So many plants and creatures are on the verge of going extinct, and it’s places like these that keep everything going, you know?”

Teddy looks at him fondly, and James feels a blush work its way up his face.

“We should go and feed the Snidget,” James mutters. He’s never quite sure how to handle it when Teddy looks at him like that.

The thing with him and Teddy is strange, a little uncertain. Teddy went away, quite a few years ago now, after Hogwarts, and when he came back, James was on his way out of Hogwarts, and Teddy had Nev and Ruby. He hadn’t told anyone about adopting a pair of brothers until he turned up at James’s brand new flat and asked to sleep in the spare room until he got a place sorted. 

Ruby had been young, then, still just a baby, and James feels warm whenever he thinks about getting to watch him grow. 

“James,” Ruby says, half-shouting in delight as he drops a piece of shredded lettuce on the nearest Fire Crab’s head. He’s dressed to the nines in a little green apron and a pair of thick gloves, with boots that are a bit too big for his feet. 

He waves, sprinkling more lettuce over the low wall and into the flock of Fire Crabs. The smallest is only a few inches long, and the biggest is the size of Ruby’s head. Each one is covered in little buds of sparkling jewels.

“Jamie says the Golden Snidget might like some company,” Teddy says, coming to a stop just a little way away from the enclosure. “You think you might know anyone who might be up to the task?”

Ruby practically seizes up in delight, his little face spasming happily. James hides a grin behind his hands, and Teddy chuckles brightly. Ruby puts down the basket of lettuce with tremendous care, tongue poking out of his mouth as he focuses, and then he’s slipping through the heavy wooden gate and trotting towards them. He takes Teddy’s hand, and then James’s, and starts to tug them along.

“Nev, I’m giving you a job, alright?” James says, turning to look at Nev, who straightens up importantly. “You have to guard Fang from the Fire Crabs. You know how scared he gets.”

“Easy.” Nev nods seriously, his fringe falling in his eyes. He brushes it back impatiently and scrambles off Hagrid’s lap to pat Fang on the head, before standing to attention, hands on his hips. 

“Good lad, Nev,” Teddy says, ruffling his hair as he passes. “C’mon Ruby, let’s go see this bird, hmm?”

“It’s a Golden Snicket, Dad,” Ruby says, pulling them towards the little barn at the end of the Sanctuary.

“Snidget, bud,” Teddy corrects, and Ruby sighs exasperatedly.

“That’s what I said.”

James smothers another grin as Teddy rolls his eyes skyward. The wooden door unlocks easily at James’s touch, and the three of them step quietly into the barn. It smells heavily of straw and grass. Artificial sunlight shines down from the ceiling, brightening the room but not warming it. Ruby holds a finger to his lips and shushes them, tip-toeing theatrically over to the bird box on the wall.

The Golden Snidget takes a moment to come out of its little box, but when it eventually pokes its beak out, Ruby gasps quietly. James comes closer and leans down behind Ruby, conjuring up some bird seed with a little concentration. He pours the brown seeds into Ruby’s cupped hands, and the Snidget hops down curiously, pecking at the seed. Ruby squeals, and the bird darts back a little, before returning cautiously.

James glances up to find Teddy staring at them, an expression of fierce love on his face, and for a moment, James almost thinks it’s directed at him. James is helpless to do anything but smile back, cheeks bright red, and then Nev throws the door open, crashing into the barn and startling the Golden Snidget. The little bird chirrups in alarm and flits back inside the bird box.

There’s a split second of silence, and then Ruby launches himself at Nev, and the boys roll out of the barn, kicking and shouting.

Teddy pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’d tell you that they’re not always like this, but I’m pretty sure you’ve seen even worse behaviour from them.”

James laughs, spilling the remaining seed on the tray by the bird box. “Teddy, they’re practically my kids too. If they weren’t badly-behaved, I’d be disappointed.”

Teddy doesn’t appear to have anything to say to that. His gaze does grow more intense though, and James briefly wonders if he’s over-stepped, but then Teddy is turning away, and James shrugs the doubts away. It’s not really possible to over-step here, not with Ruby and Nev and Teddy. 

James stands up and brushes off his jeans, dislodging bits of straw. He double-checks the Golden Snidget while Teddy detaches his children from each other, and when he slips out of the barn, Ruby and Nev are nowhere to be found, and Teddy looks rather baffled.

“Hagrid scooped them up and disappeared with them,” he says, before James can ask. “He said something about calming them down with his rock cakes.”

“That’s punishment enough for fighting.” James winces. “I think I cracked a tooth last time he gave me one.”

“Even Ron couldn’t eat one,” Teddy says fondly.

James snorts. “That’s saying something. You want tea?”

“I won’t say no,” Teddy says, following James back into the greenhouse. There’s a little adjoining kitchen, and James spends a minute putting the kettle on to boil while Teddy examines the cacti on the windowsill, all buried in patterned tea cups, courtesy of Luna.

“These are my types of plants,” Teddy says. “Self-sufficient. Do most of the work for you. That kind of thing.”

“Lazy,” James accuses. Teddy grins unrepentantly. “And actually, they need a lot of work, too. Different soil types, different amounts of water, specific amounts of sunlight.”

He pulls a face after a moment, and Teddy laughs at him. 

“I’m picking up more of this stuff than I’d like,” James complains. Teddy laughs again, strolling closer and slinging an arm around James’s shoulders while they listen to the whistle of the kettle. James leans into his side, and they wait. 

“D’you think Hagrid’s faked his death yet, to get out of babysitting?”

Teddy elbows him. “They’re not that bad. And if they are, it’s because your dad spoils them.”

“Why is it that he’s my dad when he’s fucked up somehow, and not your Godfather?” James turns to tend to the tea, although he doesn’t really like tea all that much. Teddy is an old man at heart, though, so he likes all the different flavours and the fact that they keep him awake when it’s three in the morning and Ruby is poking his eyelids, asking for a drink of water. 

“That’s just the way it is, I’m afraid, Jamie,” Teddy says, taking the proffered cup with a smile. “They want you to come round again tonight for food. Apparently I’m making cheesy pasta.” 

“You could put cauliflower in it,” James suggests. “So they’re not just eating pure carbs. And it’s roughly the same colour as the cheese and the pasta, so it should blend in enough that they might not notice.” 

Teddy winks at him over his mug. “See, this is why I keep you around.” 

“Really?” James feigns surprise. “I thought it was because I was stunningly good-looking.” 

“That too. You coming over then?” 

“When do I ever say no?” James elbows him, and Teddy lifts the tea automatically to avoid spilling it everywhere.

It’s true, that James spends more time in Teddy’s flat than he does his own. He has a pull-out bed that he drags out of the cupboard sometimes, but most nights he just flops on Teddy’s bed and curls up under the sheets. He has piles of washing littering the flat, and clothes in the top drawer and shoes in the wardrobe. There’s a purple toothbrush in the holder, picked out by Nev, and his Mad Muggle comics clutter up the windowsill. 

He’s there so often that he’s part of the usual routines, too. He puts Ruby to bed some nights, and cooks dinner in the evening, and he’s always doing the washing, because kids seem to secrete clothes. Teddy taught Nev how to ride a bike, but James taught him how to ride a broom. 

James has wanted to be a part of Teddy’s steadily growing family for a while now. 

It’s only just occurring to him that he might already be a pretty integral part. 

“You seem to be thinking pretty hard,” Teddy says. “Something wrong?” 

“Shut up for a second,” James says slowly. “I’m having an epiphany.” 

He thinks on it for a little more, thinks of all the ways he’s already part of Teddy’s life, and the boys’ life, and when he finally tears his eyes away from the depths of his tea, he finds Teddy’s eyes fixed on him, sparkling with amusement. 

“How goes that epiphany?” Teddy teases. 

James can hear the squeal of young voices just outside, and it’s probably inappropriate, but if he doesn’t kiss Teddy now, he’s going to die. Just straight up collapse in a heap on the floor. 

“You know, I really didn’t think it would take you this long to get it,” Teddy muses, watching James with affection. “You said it yourself, they’re your kids too. And you do practically live with us. And you were there from the very beginning, Jamie. I’d like it if you were there until the very end, too.” 

James is not often speechless. He gapes, and then points a finger at Teddy’s face. “You are a menace. I have a weak heart.”

Teddy snorts. “You’re fit as anything.”

“If you don't kiss me in the next three seconds, I’m going to very pointedly have a loud, painful heart attack just to spite you,” James informs him. He barely gets the last word out before Teddy is on him, pressing him up against the kitchen counter and kissing him, almost desperately. Like he’s been waiting to do it for years. James winds his hands in Teddy’s hair and kisses him back just as fiercely. He can’t believe this is happening, that he’s finally here.

“Ew,” Nev says, from the doorway. “I’m not watching this.” 

Teddy breaks away for long enough to roll his eyes, both exasperated and fond. “No one's asking you to stay, sweetheart. Go and feed the Fire Crabs with Ruby, and we’ll be out in a sec.” 

“Sure, a _sec_ ,” Nev says. “Sure.” 

James bursts into laughter as the door slides shut. He shuts up quite quickly when Teddy fastens his mouth to the row of freckles just above James's collarbone. 

“You may want to stop that, or we’ll be in here for much longer than a second,” James says, heaving in a breath. 

“You shouldn’t have so many freckles, then, doll,” Teddy murmurs, lips grazing James’s skin. James shivers, and then gently elbows Teddy away. 

“I know I’m irresistible and all that, but we have pasta to make, and sprogs to entertain,” James says, pressing another quick kiss to Teddy’s mouth. It sends another thrill through him, and he backs off quickly before he can get drawn in. “We can definitely do more of that at home.” 

Teddy closes his eyes briefly, and his smile is breathtaking, when it comes. 

“Yeah. Home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thank you! <3


End file.
